I was born and raised on the west coast (WA/MT/ID), targeting walleye out there over the dozens of species of salmonids is like targeting rainbow trout here in Minnesota over walleye/bass. Needless to say I suck at walleye fishing, I've lived here for a few years and absolutely love everything about MN, and yet the only thing that kills it for me is that I'm such a poor warm water fisherman. I grew up catching fish on lures the size of pennies, measured in 12-24's hook sizes lol, and catching something deeper than 12 feet (even that's pretty deep in trout world unless you love powerbait!). I do well targeting SMB, LMB and Pike, because I find them shallow while casting stuff. There was one day I was sitting on a lake near Maple Lake, MN in disbelief watching this boat full of people reel in one lunker LMB after another on a supposed reef edge I heard them talking about. No one needs technology to fly fish and so that's another of my weaknesses.

I don't think I've ever seriously caught fish employing a vertical method that wasn't sink bait on the bottom and wait. Not only that, I find the hardest part even knowing where to begin fishing when faced with a big open lake like up BWCA lakes if there isn't really obvious structure. Submerged structure deep down? I'd never catch an 'eye unless the entire lake was favorable bottom structure. Meh...This past trip has left me feeling like such an outsider in MN, inept at catching the famed fish this great place is known for.

If you want to fish for shallow walleyes, fish at night or just at sunset. Or fish at the base of rapids; they will go quite shallow there. My fastest walleye action in the BWCA has been when the fish were shallow and I was casting a jig and power worm. You likely will catch more walleyes fishing deep, especially during daylight hours, but you don't necessarily need to be shut out.

We have all been in your shoes.......new fish, new waters. The only question is "what are you going to do about it"?

Has there ever been a time where info was more readily available? There are more books and magazines and articles than you can could read in one lifetime. Start with a subscription to In Fisherman and educate yourself.

There is no silver bullet.......knowledgeable walleye fisherman will tell you to fish within 2 ft of the bottom and yet I have caught them suspended over 70ft of water.........they will tell you to present baits so slowly that you must "back troll" and yet I have speed trolled past those same back trollers and had eye opening catches. They will tell you that walleyes are strictly low light species and yet some of my big girls came mid day in 15 ft of water.

Start out accepting the general truisms but keep an open mind. Yes walleye generally relate to the bottom, dislike bright light and like slow moving easy to eat prey........that's your starting point.

You don't need technology to find the reef and structure, it helps but you can wing it too. Look at the shore line. The bottom typically follows the pattern of what the shore is doing. If there is a big hill then chances are there is a big drop off too. Look at the points and bays, follow the land structures and find the interesting points that are different from everything else. You can see into the water most of the time too. Fish the weed line, often the weed line follows the drop off do you get both features at the same time.

The other thing is to study the lake maps ahead of time. Know the general layout and points of interest. If you know that the lake is mostly 30 ft deep then you know what it can drop off to and what lures to fish on the deep side. If it is only 15 ft deep then you aren't likely to find significant drop-offs. There is a lot you can learn just by looking at the DNR maps.

Personally, I always find the walleyes on rock piles. I know the weed lines should be good too but I never had much luck with anything but northers there. Just put some lures on that go about 15 ft deep and troll around drop offs and places that look interesting. Once you get a bite, maybe switch over to a bobber or jig and hit up the area. Time of the year matters a lot too. The colder the water the slower they move, so bobber fishing does well. In warmer water they will be more active and lures do better. Leeches do well for me year around though.

+1 on all the above. Try a slip bobber and a leech from camp in the evening if in the BWCA and fish the rock piles, points, saddles, and reefs during the day.

I also suck at walleye fishing. Or at least I will say that it is toughest fish for me to catch aside from Muskie. I grew up fishing shallow water and visual structure for Largemouth and Pike. Went on to do stream strout and rivers fishing which is also very visual. I can catch walleyes in rivers but I have struggled with underwater structure and Walleye fishing in the BWCA in particular. I have had some success though so I'll share what I though made a difference. #1 - Portable depth finder. -without it you're completely blind. The best spots I found were on humps that topped off at about 20 feet and dropped of deeper on all sides. #2 Live minnows in an aerated baitwell. With finicky walleyes I use live minnows on a bare hook under a quality stealth balsam wood slip bobber fished within a couple feet of the bottom.

Find a lake that you normally fish up there and hire a guide one time. Really pick the guides brain and pay attention to what the person is telling you because that info can be used on similar lakes. The first time i fished Saganaga many years ago I hired a guide. It wasn't only to catch fish, it was to learn how to fish that particular lake, the info from that one trip was used hundreds of times on similar lakes, best investment ever.

Walleyes like structure and current. Without a depth finder your out of luck with most of the structure part (unless while trolling a deep diving crankbait you start hitting bottom. Take notice of location). Seeing current areas is quite easy. You can spot most before your trip simply looking at the map for neck down areas.

I do very well trolling or casting a crankbait in current areas. I have caught them below falls and sometimes it was better above the falls. Many lakes in the BWCA/Quetico have flowage areas which will produce great current bites.

I do take a depth finder. Look for shallow humps and saddles. I like to target late evening. You can see a school move up on structure as the sun fades. I like to jig fish at this time. Some like to cast out and jig back to boat. I like to fish straight down below the boat. I get a very few snags vertical jigging straight down. I have caught Walleye in as little as 4ft of water after dark right below the canoe.

If you feel some bites and have trouble hooking up try feeding some line. I fish with an open bail on spinning rod with finger on the line. When I feel a bit I immediately release the line. Keep an eye on the line. When it starts spooling out she has it. Set the hook.

If you find weeds. Try this same method. Drop jig vertically into holes and edges in the weeds. I have caught them with the sun high overhead this way.

Of course much depends on the individual lakes and what they have to offer.

I always go in August and have no problem catching Walleye. Like above I target current and weeds during the day where available. Target shallow structure adjacent to deeper water early and late.

Have Fun

K

Google Earth your lake. See those areas that appear tan, or off-colored, compared to the rest of the lake, which appears black on Google? Those are your underwater humps and rockpiles. Now, pick two or three land features that will help get you approximately in the general vicinity of those "tan" areas. Once you find them out on the lake, simply paddle around them, maybe toss out a marker here and there (dropoff, shallowest spot, for example) and fish 'em! Once you get to know a lake like this you'll realize these lakes can be fished sans depth finder.

In the "old days" I'd go as far as to stand up in the canoe and visually look for these tan areas during times of high sun and calm water. Then Google came along and made the job even simpler.

quote Kawnipi1: "Walleyes like structure and current. Without a depth finder your out of luck with most of the structure part (unless while trolling a deep diving crankbait you start hitting bottom. Take notice of location). Seeing current areas is quite easy. You can spot most before your trip simply looking at the map for neck down areas.

I do very well trolling or casting a crankbait in current areas. I have caught them below falls and sometimes it was better above the falls. Many lakes in the BWCA/Quetico have flowage areas which will produce great current bites.

I do take a depth finder. Look for shallow humps and saddles. I like to target late evening. You can see a school move up on structure as the sun fades. I like to jig fish at this time. Some like to cast out and jig back to boat. I like to fish straight down below the boat. I get a very few snags vertical jigging straight down. I have caught Walleye in as little as 4ft of water after dark right below the canoe.


If you feel some bites and have trouble hooking up try feeding some line. I fish with an open bail on spinning rod with finger on the line. When I feel a bit I immediately release the line. Keep an eye on the line. When it starts spooling out she has it. Set the hook.


If you find weeds. Try this same method. Drop jig vertically into holes and edges in the weeds. I have caught them with the sun high overhead this way.


Of course much depends on the individual lakes and what they have to offer.


I always go in August and have no problem catching Walleye. Like above I target current and weeds during the day where available. Target shallow structure adjacent to deeper water early and late.


Have Fun


K"

I agree with everything you said in your post, I would like to add while your jigging im casting rapalas and swimbaits in those shallow areas on top of the hump or reef and were both catching walleyes :-)

quote Basspro69: "Find a lake that you normally fish up there and hire a guide one time. Really pick the guides brain and pay attention to what the person is telling you because that info can be used on similar lakes. The first time i fished Saganaga many years ago I hired a guide. It wasn't only to catch fish, it was to learn how to fish that particular lake, the info from that one trip was used hundreds of times on similar lakes, best investment ever."

good advise

quote : "Google Earth your lake. See those areas that appear tan, or off-colored, compared to the rest of the lake, which appears black on Google? Those are your underwater humps and rockpiles. "

Great idear. I just google earthed my route and marked all the mid lake humps and extended points around our prospective camps sites on my maps.

K

One other thing to consider when targeting walleye is lake clarity. Sometimes catching walleyes can be a struggle in those lakes with really clear water, especially in the daytime. Like others said, fish that magic hour at dusk, or if there is a lake nearby with darker stained water, fish that during the day. My rule with walleye is to usually start fishing a depth just past where I can no longer see bottom. In some lakes that is 4-5 feet of water, in others it may be past 20'. Also, it is not as much fun, but fish the wind blown side of the lake if need be, especially if the wind has been blowing into an area for a day or two. And lastly, as with most fishing, if something is not working, keep switching things up to try and find something that does.

quote wykee5: "One other thing to consider when targeting walleye is lake clarity. Sometimes catching walleyes can be a struggle in those lakes with really clear water, especially in the daytime. Like others said, fish that magic hour at dusk, or if there is a lake nearby with darker stained water "

+1 Good advice !

Also remember that you already have a solid skill set. I think most would agree that catching spooky trout in skinny clear water takes tremendous skill. Build on what you have. Walleye, like trout, are riverine fish ( we think). They like current, just like trout. They eat small helpless-looking stuff, just like trout. Sure, they hit big lures, but you'll certainly catch numbers poking around vs. power fishing. They ambush like trout do. At most times of year in the North Country (hot weather being the exception), if it looks like good trout water, chances are that it is good walleye water.

You are not alone. 5 trips to the BWCA and I have yet to catch a walleye, although I did have one on my line once. Sometimes it takes a while.

I echo what wykee5 said: deep or shallow is relative to each lake, and the more tannic stained, usually the shallower the fish will be....

Slip bobber, sinker, hook with a leach. I've never been skunked on walleye in 12+ trips to BWCA.

quote : "Google Earth your lake. See those areas that appear tan, or off-colored, compared to the rest of the lake, which appears black on Google? Those are your underwater humps and rockpiles.

It figures. I just punched in Lake Saganagons in Google Earth and it's iced over......

quote unshavenman: "

quote : "Google Earth your lake. See those areas that appear tan, or off-colored, compared to the rest of the lake, which appears black on Google? Those are your underwater humps and rockpiles.

It figures. I just punched in Lake Saganagons in Google Earth and it's iced over......"

Try Bing:
https://www.bing.com/maps

quote GGrant: "

quote unshavenman: "

quote : "Google Earth your lake. See those areas that appear tan, or off-colored, compared to the rest of the lake, which appears black on Google? Those are your underwater humps and rockpiles.

It figures. I just punched in Lake Saganagons in Google Earth and it's iced over......"

Try Bing:
https://www.bing.com/maps


"

Brilliant!
Bing worked, thanks GGrant.